Characters
1) Jean Louise "Scout" Finch- She lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black cook in Maycomb. She is intelligent and, by the standards of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout has combative streak and a basic faith in the goodness of people in her community. As the novel progresses, her faith is tested by the hatred and prejudice that emerge during Tom Robinson's trial. Scout eventually develops a more grown-up perspective that enables her to appreciate human goodness without ignoring human evil.
2) Atticus Finch- Scout and Jem's father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of Maycomb's committed to racial equality. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man charged of raping a white woman, he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the white community.
3) Miss Maudie Atkinson- The Finche's neighbor, a sharp-danger widow, and an old friend of the family. Miss Maudie is almost the same age as Atticus' younger brother Jack. She shares Atticus' passion for justice and is the children's best friend among Maycomb adults.
4) Calpurnia- The Finch's black cook. She is a stern disciplinary and the children's bridge between the white world and her own black community.
5) Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch- Scout's brother and playmate at the beginning of the story. Jem is something of a typical American boy, refusing to back down from dares and dreams about football. Four years older than Scout, he gradually separates himself from her games, but remains her close companion during the story. Jem moves into adolescences during the story, and his ideals are shaken badly by the evil and in justice that he perceives during the trial of Tom Robinson.
6) Arthur "Boo" Radley- A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportunity to save the children. An intelligent child emotionally damaged by his cruel father. Boo provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness. He is one of the "mockingbirds", a good person injured by the evil of mankind.
7) Bob Ewell- A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycomb's poorest family. In his knowingly wrongful accusation that Tom Robinson raped his daughter. Bob represents the dark side of the South; ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice.
8) Charles Baker "Dill" Harris- Jem and Scout's summer neighbor and friend. Dill is an diminutive, confident boy with an active imagination. He becomes fascinated with Boo Radley and represents the perspective of childhood innocence through the novel.
9) Aunt Alexandra- Atticus' sister, a strong-willed woman with a fierce devotion to her family. Alexandra is the perfect southern lady, her commitment to property and tradition often leads her to clash with Scout.
10) Mayella Ewell- Bob Ewell's abused, lonely, unhappy daughter. Though one can pity Mayella because of her over bearing father, one cannot pardon on her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson.
11) Tom Robinson- The black field hand accused of rape. Tom is one of the novels' "mockingbirds" an important symbol of innocence destroyed by evil.
12) Link Deas- Tom Robinson's employer. In his willingness to look past race and praise the integrity of Tom Robinson, he emphasizes the opposite of prejudice.
13) Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose- An elderly ill, tempered, and racist woman who lives near the Finches. Although Jem believes that Mrs. Dubose is a bad woman, Atticus admires her for her courage with which she battles her morphine addiction.
1) Jean Louise "Scout" Finch- She lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black cook in Maycomb. She is intelligent and, by the standards of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout has combative streak and a basic faith in the goodness of people in her community. As the novel progresses, her faith is tested by the hatred and prejudice that emerge during Tom Robinson's trial. Scout eventually develops a more grown-up perspective that enables her to appreciate human goodness without ignoring human evil.
2) Atticus Finch- Scout and Jem's father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of Maycomb's committed to racial equality. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man charged of raping a white woman, he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the white community.
3) Miss Maudie Atkinson- The Finche's neighbor, a sharp-danger widow, and an old friend of the family. Miss Maudie is almost the same age as Atticus' younger brother Jack. She shares Atticus' passion for justice and is the children's best friend among Maycomb adults.
4) Calpurnia- The Finch's black cook. She is a stern disciplinary and the children's bridge between the white world and her own black community.
5) Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch- Scout's brother and playmate at the beginning of the story. Jem is something of a typical American boy, refusing to back down from dares and dreams about football. Four years older than Scout, he gradually separates himself from her games, but remains her close companion during the story. Jem moves into adolescences during the story, and his ideals are shaken badly by the evil and in justice that he perceives during the trial of Tom Robinson.
6) Arthur "Boo" Radley- A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportunity to save the children. An intelligent child emotionally damaged by his cruel father. Boo provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness. He is one of the "mockingbirds", a good person injured by the evil of mankind.
7) Bob Ewell- A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycomb's poorest family. In his knowingly wrongful accusation that Tom Robinson raped his daughter. Bob represents the dark side of the South; ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice.
8) Charles Baker "Dill" Harris- Jem and Scout's summer neighbor and friend. Dill is an diminutive, confident boy with an active imagination. He becomes fascinated with Boo Radley and represents the perspective of childhood innocence through the novel.
9) Aunt Alexandra- Atticus' sister, a strong-willed woman with a fierce devotion to her family. Alexandra is the perfect southern lady, her commitment to property and tradition often leads her to clash with Scout.
10) Mayella Ewell- Bob Ewell's abused, lonely, unhappy daughter. Though one can pity Mayella because of her over bearing father, one cannot pardon on her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson.
11) Tom Robinson- The black field hand accused of rape. Tom is one of the novels' "mockingbirds" an important symbol of innocence destroyed by evil.
12) Link Deas- Tom Robinson's employer. In his willingness to look past race and praise the integrity of Tom Robinson, he emphasizes the opposite of prejudice.
13) Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose- An elderly ill, tempered, and racist woman who lives near the Finches. Although Jem believes that Mrs. Dubose is a bad woman, Atticus admires her for her courage with which she battles her morphine addiction.